“I sailed to Panama city. I guess we didn’t sail straight there. We sailed to … the San Blas Islands first … which is a little bit further east. And then we slowly made our way to Panama City where I flew home. Just moving the boat for some people that I met in Virginia. They run a 105 foot schooner that they do charters and things on and they sail down to Panama every year to do maintenance. So, I was lucky enough that they wanted to take me with them. It was about two weeks. I grew up here, so I’m staying with my family here for the winter and I’m going back to work for that same boat this summer” — David Young

“I’m in an Intro to Photo class and for this assignment we’re just learning to change the aperture and get photos to have different depth-of-fields. I’m doing Publication Design but we’re just, like, required to have a general knowledge of other fields as well. I’m trying to get the ivy to really stand out and kinda, like, blur the bricks if I can.”

The soccer pitch, whether grass or a number of other surfaces, serves as a home for professional athletes, college students and many others around the world. Wherever one might be, there is always a place for pickup soccer, or pelada, to be played.

Club football team warms up at Walter Fieldhouse, home of many club and intramural sporting events.

I found my “home” in the middle of an open field across from Mill Street Village during move-in day. All I had to do was look for the two soccer nets. There, was a group of 25 students playing the game that so many love. After waiting 15 minutes for the initial two games to end, I joined a team of six other students and started playing my first 7-on-7 soccer game on campus.

Each week during the last semester, I would go to the field to play pickup soccer with my fellow students. Being my first semester at OHIO, I made many of my first friends on the soccer ground. The athletes included a mixture of men and women, who were Caucasian, African-American, Asian, Hispanic and Indian. The game connected all of us together, even if we were not from the same place or spoke the same language. Of course, soccer is a universal language in that way.

Additionally, the sport provides a way for one to forget all other problems in one’s life. It can serve as a way to free one’s mind or it can just serve as a study break.

In the winter, we take our game to Walter Fieldhouse to play on turf or the Ping Center to play futsal, a version of soccer often played on an indoor court.

On the sidewalk outside of 8 North Court Street rests a colorful and inviting sign on an easel. It urges a hungry or thirsty passerby to stop inside Fluff Bakery to enjoy one of the daily specials that’s written in fluorescent pink and green marker. Driven by my curiosity—and guilty sweet tooth—I couldn’t help but take a peek inside during the fall of my freshman year.

I fell in love with Fluff that day. Though I’ve been there more than a dozen times, I still have a difficult time deciding what exactly I want to order. The clear display cases and shelves tempt me with assortments of cookies, cupcakes, elaborate pastries, cakes and cannolis. I want it all. After I settle on a baked good, I almost always need a cup of coffee to wash it down with. They offer a spectacular array of roasts and flavors from Silver Bridge Coffee; I personally recommend Jamaican Me Crazy, which is infused with caramel, hazelnut and Kahlua.

The bakery sells a wide variety of coffee drinks (and they now serve cocktails and wine too)!

Fluff Bakery also serves up some tasty breakfast and lunch options. I have yet to try the Fluffhead Sandwich, but I’m a big fan of their BBQ Pork Business Biscuit. Barbecue sauce is not exactly a common condiment on the breakfast table, but this monster of a sandwich left me full until dinnertime. Bonus: the meals are made-to-order, so they’re hot every time.

This place is a favorite of mine because everything is reasonably priced and the quality is unbeatable; Fluff sources their ingredients from local suppliers such as Snowville Creamery. The seating is great too—customers can people watch at the bar stools along the window or sit down at a table toward the back of the store if they’re looking to snag a quieter study spot.

I highly recommend checking out their Instagram to catch up on daily specials and other promotions, such as Pie Day Friday (free coffee with a slice of their featured pie when it’s eaten in-store). But one tip… don’t scroll through their pictures when hunger strikes.

The “Stal” is one of my favorite places to socialize with friends, day or night.

Come one, come all to a place that doesn’t discriminate. Just came from the gym? Perfect. Leaving straight from the library? Even better. Craving some salty late night popcorn? Grab your beer money and stop by one of Athens’ gems: The Crystal.

A video by Henry Weber said it best, The Crystal is the number one bar in Athens, Ohio. This may seem like an exaggeration, but there are hundreds of people on campus willing to backup that statement. Whether you refer to it as Stal or Crusty Crystal, to many it’s called home.

This establishment might seem like just another hole in the wall, but once you’re inside with a $3 drink in hand, it’s nearly impossible to have a bad time.

The Crystal works to build a family atmosphere where a familiar face is always just around the corner. This bar attracts such a diverse crowd of people that almost guarantees a run-in with someone you know. It could be a guy who sat behind you in freshman English, a friend you haven’t seen since high school, or maybe an old TA who stopped by for a drink. Anything is possible at The Crystal.

As you walk by this bar on a typical Saturday night, large front windows reveal a crowd of people laughing, dancing and seemingly having the time of their lives. I am normally one of those people. Your shoes might stick to the floor when you walk. There’s probably a couple making out in the corner. More often than not there’s a girl who’s had one too many dancing on a table. But I wouldn’t want to spend the night (Or day. No discriminating, remember?) with any other group of weirdos.

The Crystal is one of more than twenty bars in Athens, but it will always be number one in my heart.

Upon turning 21 years of age in Athens, Ohio, I discovered an oasis known as Lucky’s Sports Tavern. Well…okay. I knew about Lucky’s BEFORE I was 21, but that’s not the point. Being in OU’s Army ROTC program, Lucky’s has always been sort of a “right of passage” for cadets. We, of course, are strict about underage drinking, so when we are finally of age, Lucky’s is more of an exciting privilege.

My friend Spyro and I decided to poke fun at the way we receive awards in the military. So, he awarded me with a Yuengling for no reason and we documented it.

When you enter this establishment, it may, at first glance, seem like a typical bar. It is not until you venture there more than a few times that you discover the many aspects you will bond with for the rest of your Bobcat lifetime.

Monday Mug Club

Ah, the infamous Mug Club. You are sitting at the bar. You look up to notice an array of glass beer mugs on the shelf in front of you. Each mug seems to have a little tag with a name or number on it. What is this, you say? Well, Lucky’s gives you the wonderful opportunity to pay a small bit of money per semester for a nice beer mug with your name on it. You will get special deals on drinks like $1.75 drafts anytime and $1 shots on Mondays. Speaking of shots, the shot menu is extensive. My friend Spyro and I have made it a goal to get through the entire shot list. They range from names like grape skittle, jet fuel, silk panties, and train wreck.

Infamous Liquor Pitchers

It’s Wednesday. A well-known bar day for OU students. $5 liquor pitchers at Lucky’s. The place gets packed. Everyone usually has a pitcher of “Lucky’s Lemonade,” “Electric Lemonade,” “Big Red Machine,” or one of the other popular liquor drinks to themselves (with about 1,578 straws in each pitcher just in case you have a lot of friends that want to share). Tip: Pour your pitcher into small plastic cups. You don’t get all the extra ice and you can finish a pitcher MUCH faster (if you don’t mind dying, that is).

The Food

Whether it be the legendary cheese stix or their monthly pizza creations, Lucky’s is a great place to spend happy hour. Cheese stix are $.50 on Fridays during happy hour. I personally like their nachos and fried pickles.

The People

Alex Exum, a Lucky’s bartender off duty, poses in Lucky’s with a pitcher from the Cincinnati Reds. (photo courtesy of Alex Exum)

Every bar in Athens seems to have a certain crowd. From my observations, Lucky’s brings in all sorts of characters. I have seen townies, hipsters, fraternity/sorority guys and girls, and athletes. This, in my opinion, is what makes it the most likeable bar. The employees also make your experience worthwhile. They are very professional and fun. Becoming good friends with the bartenders and bouncers to the point where they know our drink orders and no longer ID us, is a pretty homey feeling, as it would be with any bar. One of the bartenders, Alex, actually came to Vegas with my friends and I.

The Atmosphere

Everyone is always having a good time in Lucky’s. As soon as you walk in, there’s almost always a crowd playing pool. You’re likely to hear the songs “Ignition” by R. Kelly or “Africa” by Toto playing over the juke box. Nobody really seems to care about what music you play, though. Everyone in Lucky’s is pretty accepting of your tastes. You could play 15 Taylor Swift songs in a row and be fine.

Overall, Lucky’s holds a special place in my heart. The biggest shock to myself is that it is technically the Steelers bar of Athens. There is no other thing in this world that I hate more than the Steelers. I am a diehard Browns fan (sadly). That alone has to say a lot about the greatness of this bar. Lucky’s is just legendary. It’s tradition. It’s home.